...after watching this remarkable Director's Cut of the film, I slept on the couch with the lights on and left my television tuned to the Comedy Central channel.
Audio:
The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 in English, French and Spanish. The overall sound is very acceptable, and I found it to be slightly better than the video. The dynamics were very well balanced, and there are plenty of sound-effect moments to enjoy in the film. All tones from high-to-low range were superb from one speaker to the next. From explosions to dialogue, the film's audio does an exceptionally fine job in delivering what any consumer would expect from ear candy.
Extras:
The Unrated Director's Cut of the film gives us nine more minutes of the film compared to the original theatrical release. Beyond that, there are a few more extras on the disc as well. As for the regular extras found on the theatrical release DVD, you will find "The Lost Tape," which is an addition to make the film seem more realistic. In the film, we are introduced to a character named Andy (Bruce Bohne). Andy owns a gun shop across from the mall and is able to communicate with our main characters on a rooftop by writing on a dry-erase board. What we don't know is that Andy has been making a home video of his events during this time, and his tape is what this extra feature is all about.
There is also a similar extra called "Special Report: Zombie Invasion" where we are shown video clips of the news media reporting the zombie outbreak. This is also a feature that adds to the overall realism of the film, and it isn't too bad, if a little overacted. There are also the usual deleted scenes and a commentary by director Zack Snyder and producer Eric Newman.
As for the Director's Cut of the film, there are three more features, which are short documentaries on the making of the film. First, there's "Splitting Heads: Anatomy of Exploding Heads." In this feature, we learn about how special effects were used to make the zombies' heads explode from gunshots. It's fairly interesting, if not gross. Second, there's a feature called "Attack of the Living Dead," which is about the most memorable zombie kills of the movie. It's kind of fun to watch, but if you've seen it once, there's no need to see it again. Last on the list is a feature called "Raising the Dead." This is one of the most-interesting features because we get to see the endless cast of extras put through the daily grind of putting on their makeup effects. There is some really good insight in this feature on how they made these zombies look different from Romero's zombies of 1978.
As a note to readers, there are the usual previews at the beginning of the DVD. However, Universal has been nice enough to allow us to get to the main menu by simply clicking on the "Menu" button on our remote control. Nevertheless, if you do want to see the previews, you can access them through the Special Features menu.
Parting Thoughts from Tim:
Finally, after all the years I've waited to see a film that would scare me again as it did when I was young, I have to admit I'm surprised to have found it in an old remake. In some ways, it's almost ironic that the original from 1978 scared me to death as a kid, and now the new 2004 version came close to doing the same. Call me a wimp, but, hey, isn't that what a movie like this is supposed to do? As for those who enjoy horror films, forget your "Scream," forget your "I Know What You Did Last Summer," forget your "Jeepers Creepers." When you want to see a horror film done right, then you absolutely cannot fail with "Dawn of the Dead."
Miscellaneous Musings from John:
I had occasion to see this 2004 version of "Dawn of the Dead" just a few days after I watched the older and much inferior zombie spoof "Night of the Living Dead Part II," which may or may not have influenced my appreciation for the newer film. From the first few minutes onward, I found "Dawn" as hella scary as any zombie movie ever made, and its intensity never lets up for a second.
The movie is, of course, based on the George Romero classic from 1978, yet it's a whole new ball game. We've still got the main characters in the shopping mall, but we have less emphasis now on the satiric allegory of consumerism that permeated the original and more stress on pure thrills. Equally important are the story's characterizations, and I came to know and understand the people trapped and in peril in this new account better than ever; thus, I felt for them more and worried about them more. So, not only is "Dawn" thrilling, it's suspenseful, too.
Add in director Zack Snyder's superb pacing, which has things moving at a nonstop clip, plus extraordinarily good acting and a larger budget than Romero had the first time around, and we get a different film from Romero's, maybe not better but surely fresh and innovative. For instance, we get a bigger cast, better special effects, many of them realistically computer generated, more convincing costumes and makeup, more elaborate sets, stronger production values, and improved cinematography and sound. We also get creatures that are no longer the lumbering pushovers of the old days but fierce, fast, frightening beings who are genuinely threatening.
The result of all this attention to detail is a continuous, bloody Armageddon, which, nevertheless, takes time out to let us know about its participants. In fact, the new "Dawn" reminded me in the best possible way of "Aliens," right down to the female lead, played by Sarah Polley. Expect things to jump out at you from everywhere and anywhere, and consider it a good thing to have Ving Rhames on your side when it happens. Expect also, as I said, to feel for the characters and their situation, and expect to find a good number of moral decisions being made along the way, in sum taking this monster picture well out of the range of the commonplace.
Expect, too, a healthy quotient of blood and gore, most of it looking startlingly convincing. This DVD edition of the film is unrated for having never been submitted to the ratings board, but if it had been submitted, I wouldn't doubt it might have scored an NC-17 for some of its violence. Yet it is not the violence that makes it exciting so much as the constant tension. Its hour-and-fifty-minutes running time go by in a flash.
I found only one incident toward the end of the film somewhat implausible, given its context in an otherwise believable, if fantastical, world. However, to be distracted only once in an entire horror film seems to me a pretty good sign. Oh, and be sure to stay all the way through the closing credits. Like any good monster, this monster movie just never lets up.
Interestingly, the new "Dawn of the Dead" appeared in theaters worldwide at about the same time as the well-received parody-tribute to zombie movies, "Shaun of the Dead." I'm not sure that audiences weren't a little confused about the similarity of the titles, but I can assure you the two films are very different in tone and both are entirely worthwhile as good, fun views, solid 8/10's at the very least.
"When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the Earth," says a television evangelist in "Dawn of the Dead." No kidding. This one is a nail-biter from beginning to end.
The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 in English, French and Spanish. The overall sound is very acceptable, and I found it to be slightly better than the video. The dynamics were very well balanced, and there are plenty of sound-effect moments to enjoy in the film. All tones from high-to-low range were superb from one speaker to the next. From explosions to dialogue, the film's audio does an exceptionally fine job in delivering what any consumer would expect from ear candy.
Extras:
The Unrated Director's Cut of the film gives us nine more minutes of the film compared to the original theatrical release. Beyond that, there are a few more extras on the disc as well. As for the regular extras found on the theatrical release DVD, you will find "The Lost Tape," which is an addition to make the film seem more realistic. In the film, we are introduced to a character named Andy (Bruce Bohne). Andy owns a gun shop across from the mall and is able to communicate with our main characters on a rooftop by writing on a dry-erase board. What we don't know is that Andy has been making a home video of his events during this time, and his tape is what this extra feature is all about.
There is also a similar extra called "Special Report: Zombie Invasion" where we are shown video clips of the news media reporting the zombie outbreak. This is also a feature that adds to the overall realism of the film, and it isn't too bad, if a little overacted. There are also the usual deleted scenes and a commentary by director Zack Snyder and producer Eric Newman.
As for the Director's Cut of the film, there are three more features, which are short documentaries on the making of the film. First, there's "Splitting Heads: Anatomy of Exploding Heads." In this feature, we learn about how special effects were used to make the zombies' heads explode from gunshots. It's fairly interesting, if not gross. Second, there's a feature called "Attack of the Living Dead," which is about the most memorable zombie kills of the movie. It's kind of fun to watch, but if you've seen it once, there's no need to see it again. Last on the list is a feature called "Raising the Dead." This is one of the most-interesting features because we get to see the endless cast of extras put through the daily grind of putting on their makeup effects. There is some really good insight in this feature on how they made these zombies look different from Romero's zombies of 1978.
As a note to readers, there are the usual previews at the beginning of the DVD. However, Universal has been nice enough to allow us to get to the main menu by simply clicking on the "Menu" button on our remote control. Nevertheless, if you do want to see the previews, you can access them through the Special Features menu.
Parting Thoughts from Tim:
Finally, after all the years I've waited to see a film that would scare me again as it did when I was young, I have to admit I'm surprised to have found it in an old remake. In some ways, it's almost ironic that the original from 1978 scared me to death as a kid, and now the new 2004 version came close to doing the same. Call me a wimp, but, hey, isn't that what a movie like this is supposed to do? As for those who enjoy horror films, forget your "Scream," forget your "I Know What You Did Last Summer," forget your "Jeepers Creepers." When you want to see a horror film done right, then you absolutely cannot fail with "Dawn of the Dead."
Miscellaneous Musings from John:
I had occasion to see this 2004 version of "Dawn of the Dead" just a few days after I watched the older and much inferior zombie spoof "Night of the Living Dead Part II," which may or may not have influenced my appreciation for the newer film. From the first few minutes onward, I found "Dawn" as hella scary as any zombie movie ever made, and its intensity never lets up for a second.
The movie is, of course, based on the George Romero classic from 1978, yet it's a whole new ball game. We've still got the main characters in the shopping mall, but we have less emphasis now on the satiric allegory of consumerism that permeated the original and more stress on pure thrills. Equally important are the story's characterizations, and I came to know and understand the people trapped and in peril in this new account better than ever; thus, I felt for them more and worried about them more. So, not only is "Dawn" thrilling, it's suspenseful, too.
Add in director Zack Snyder's superb pacing, which has things moving at a nonstop clip, plus extraordinarily good acting and a larger budget than Romero had the first time around, and we get a different film from Romero's, maybe not better but surely fresh and innovative. For instance, we get a bigger cast, better special effects, many of them realistically computer generated, more convincing costumes and makeup, more elaborate sets, stronger production values, and improved cinematography and sound. We also get creatures that are no longer the lumbering pushovers of the old days but fierce, fast, frightening beings who are genuinely threatening.
The result of all this attention to detail is a continuous, bloody Armageddon, which, nevertheless, takes time out to let us know about its participants. In fact, the new "Dawn" reminded me in the best possible way of "Aliens," right down to the female lead, played by Sarah Polley. Expect things to jump out at you from everywhere and anywhere, and consider it a good thing to have Ving Rhames on your side when it happens. Expect also, as I said, to feel for the characters and their situation, and expect to find a good number of moral decisions being made along the way, in sum taking this monster picture well out of the range of the commonplace.
Expect, too, a healthy quotient of blood and gore, most of it looking startlingly convincing. This DVD edition of the film is unrated for having never been submitted to the ratings board, but if it had been submitted, I wouldn't doubt it might have scored an NC-17 for some of its violence. Yet it is not the violence that makes it exciting so much as the constant tension. Its hour-and-fifty-minutes running time go by in a flash.
I found only one incident toward the end of the film somewhat implausible, given its context in an otherwise believable, if fantastical, world. However, to be distracted only once in an entire horror film seems to me a pretty good sign. Oh, and be sure to stay all the way through the closing credits. Like any good monster, this monster movie just never lets up.
Interestingly, the new "Dawn of the Dead" appeared in theaters worldwide at about the same time as the well-received parody-tribute to zombie movies, "Shaun of the Dead." I'm not sure that audiences weren't a little confused about the similarity of the titles, but I can assure you the two films are very different in tone and both are entirely worthwhile as good, fun views, solid 8/10's at the very least.
"When there's no more room in hell, the dead will walk the Earth," says a television evangelist in "Dawn of the Dead." No kidding. This one is a nail-biter from beginning to end.
Average user rating (1-5):
[release]12370[/release]